Cortado MK3III - Contact Mic Review

[Drew Stephenson]

For me, it's both. My environment is going to be very noisy at times over the next few years. I can get a usable guitar recording from the Cortado that easily trumps anything I can get from onboard piezo pick-up. It will also work as a live mic for the Guinjo or mandolin (which have no pick-up) and I expect will do the same for the double bass.
Then there's the fun stuff of just mic'ing stuff up because you can and seeing what you get out of it.

[Martin Walker]

Then there's the fun stuff of just mic'ing stuff up because you can and seeing what you get out of it.

This is the clincher for me

I love musicians/artists who incorporate strange little sounds into their compositions to make them sound unique - it adds such character!

[tea for two]

I did a review of the Cortado MK3III contact mic from Zeppelin Design Labs. Check it out here:

https://youtu.be/xG_qyCRFSvA

Triffic review Will.

One thing I liked focused on the Cortado (not on yourself).

Amount of times Keith Floyd said to Beeb camera person "Not me, The Food !"

It is one of my pet peeves of video product reviews, video product demos : the amount of too much showing of presenter : please be a bit selfless, it's about the Product.

I appreciate you making it all about the Cortado.
(for privacy reasons I would do same).

For a fan of Yello, Art of Noise, JmJarre imaginative use of sampling, which I am, this Cortado seems triffic.

[Drew Stephenson]

Just a quick sample from me. There was a combination chainsawing and jackhammering going on the other day but I really wanted to capture what I was working so I grabbed the Cortado.
The guitar part here is the result: https://soundcloud.com/blinddrew/the-no ... ny21cCBfuh
I was actually playing very quietly (just written, wasn't too confident) so as a result it needed a bit of processing. Voice De-noiser and De-click* from Izotope RX, a couple of eq notches, and a bit of HF shelf lift (to compensate for the wide-band de-click).

* One thing I did discover on this recording is that you do have to be careful with the cable. If it's a fixed mounting that's fine, but on a mobile item (like a guitar), particularly if it's being played quietly, if the cable is swaying slightly when you move it can lead to clicking sounds. Because I didn't notice it at the time I'm not sure if this was from micro-taps of the cable against the guitar top or against the floor.
But it's one to watch for.

[Will_m]

Triffic review Will.

One thing I liked focused on the Cortado (not on yourself).

Amount of times Keith Floyd said to Beeb camera person "Not me, The Food !"

It is one of my pet peeves of video product reviews, video product demos : the amount of too much showing of presenter : please be a bit selfless, it's about the Product.

I appreciate you making it all about the Cortado.
(for privacy reasons I would do same).

For a fan of Yello, Art of Noise, JmJarre imaginative use of sampling, which I am, this Cortado seems triffic.

Thanks! I'm definitely of the same feeling when it comes to reviews, I'm there to see the product and not the reviewers face. Its also just easier to film this way, I can do everything on one camera in one pass (plus a few cutaways).

* One thing I did discover on this recording is that you do have to be careful with the cable. If it's a fixed mounting that's fine, but on a mobile item (like a guitar), particularly if it's being played quietly, if the cable is swaying slightly when you move it can lead to clicking sounds. Because I didn't notice it at the time I'm not sure if this was from micro-taps of the cable against the guitar top or against the floor.
But it's one to watch for.

This is something I touched on in the review. I've found from lavalier mics the tougher and harder style cables are more prone to these types of noises, so they do need a bit more cable management.

[Drew Stephenson]

Yep, I thought I'd factored it in but I was obviously moving around a bit more than I thought.

[ManFromGlass]

There must be some kind of thin foam or thick cloth that could help. I can’t imagine not moving much while playing anything. Not that I put on the full spandex and leap about but staying still while playing doesn’t seem natural.
My Cortado arrived but I haven’t had the chance to try it yet, but I’m looking forward to it!

[Drew Stephenson]

Oh yes, I'm sure a solution is possible, I just hadn't realised it was necessary.
Playing louder would be a first step to improving the signal to noise ratio.

[Martin Walker]

I did a review of the Cortado MK3III contact mic from Zeppelin Design Labs. Check it out here:

https://youtu.be/xG_qyCRFSvA

Triffic review Will.

I've just watched it, and totally agree - some great sound design possibilities (I love the 'tambourine friction rolls' and 'effervescent in water' examples in particular).

[ManFromGlass]

an update about my experiences -
I had a live gig playing an mbira (gorgeous sounding African thumb piano) into an ipad looper.
Cortado was perfect for the job. It captured the frequency range that made the instrument sound fantastic.

[Martin Walker]

a thumb up for thumb piano usage then

[ManFromGlass]

yes - it was really thumbthing . . . . err . . . .

[Wonks]

So it's a digital instrument.

[Martin Walker]

Analogue was used in its construction (as it's primarily made of wood).

[ManFromGlass]

So it's a digital instrument.

with opposable potential!

[tea for two]

Made of corduroy lol.

I did a review of the Cortado MK3III contact mic from Zeppelin Design Labs. Check it out here:

https://youtu.be/xG_qyCRFSvA

Triffic review Will.

For a fan of Yello, Art of Noise, JmJarre imaginative use of sampling, which I am, this Cortado seems triffic.

In this month's SoS, JmJarre says of his latest release
"and sound effects I recorded with contact mics, such as the Zeppelin Labs Cortado."

I was imagining doing something similar, making melodies sequences accompaniment by recording things, obviously not to JmJ's intricate level, more to my amateur level.